Bedford鈥檚 Justin O鈥橬eill looking to turn heads in post-grad year at Tilton
BEDFORD, N.H. (BVM) — After a senior season that led to awards like first Team All-State NHIAA and runner-up NHIAA D1 Player of the Year, Bedford鈥檚 Justin O鈥橬eill is looking to continue his growth on the basketball court during a post-grad season at Tilton School.
Recognition is a long time coming for the 6-foot-7 forward, who first cracked the varsity lineup his sophomore year at Bedford High School. After limited time in that first year, the two-year captain would become a lock on the team, boasting some special performances his senior year like a 26-point, 10-rebound night against Nashua North and a 21-point game against Exeter.
Even with an impressive senior season, O鈥橬eill wouldn鈥檛 garner the collegiate attention he had hoped for. Still wanting to play at the next level, he would decide on an extra season before taking the jump to the college level.
鈥淚 was in contact with a bunch of local Division III schools in the area,鈥� O鈥橬eill said. 鈥淚 had those [programs] heading into my senior season and then the same group ending. I had heard from a couple local Division II鈥檚 but none of them were willing to give me anything in terms of a real spot or offer on the team, so I had to think about what I wanted in college.聽
鈥淚 decided that I really wanted to compete for a scholarship whether that be Division II or maybe even a Division I if I had the chance, so I decided to take the post-grad route.鈥�
The post-grad route would mean a move to Tilton where O鈥橬eill hopes to put his name on the map. After a difficult offseason due to Covid-19, O鈥橬eill would look to build on his game in the weight room and during his time playing AAU.
鈥淥utside of basketball I was really just trying to get stronger because I knew some of the physicality was a lot different at the NEPSAC level,鈥� O鈥橬eill said. 鈥淩eally try to focus on what I thought my role was going to be, being someone who was able to hit shots and then be able to make plays off the catch.鈥�
For O鈥橬eill, getting stronger against some of the better competition in the NEPSAC has already started to pay dividends.
鈥淎bsolutely, I think it’s also helped me on the defensive end too because now I’m able to stay in front of people more and be a little more physical without fouling,鈥� O鈥橬eill said when asked if getting stronger has affected his game. 鈥淭hat’s huge playing against guys that are a little faster, a little stronger here. I think I鈥檝e also been able to have a little more success in the post too, just being able to hold my ground and not get pushed around like I would have before.鈥�
The transition to a higher skill set has been an adjustment for O鈥橬eill but he鈥檚 looking forward to showcasing himself at a higher level.
鈥淚t’s a complete difference from what I鈥檓 used to, at least from high school coming from Bedford,鈥� O鈥橬eill said. 鈥淭he game is a lot more physical, the guys are a lot bigger, faster, and overall more skilled. I think [there鈥檚] a lot more game knowledge, like knowing when to shoot, when to pass, when to drive has to come in, because it鈥檚 not as easy just to get any shot right away. It was a little bit of a learning experience at first playing with new guys and trying to find my role, but overall, I think I like the difference.鈥�
With Tilton鈥檚 season just beginning, O鈥橬eill is hoping his hard work pays off, already hearing from a couple of different collegiate schools. Even with his eyes set on getting noticed, his sole focus will always be on winning.
鈥淭he main goal for me, and pretty much everyone on the team, is to get your name out there and overall just get recruited,鈥� O鈥橬eill said. 鈥淏ut at the same time, I want to win games too. So with pretty much a brand new team, it was just a big thing for everyone to find their role and find out where you can be most successful in helping the team [win games].鈥�
